Do It Right
by zosanlaw
Summary: Zoro, Luffy and Nami go on a drugs bust and find a French man with no name. Tight lipped and with no papers, the blond becomes a part of their case. (Warning: Major angst in future chapters)
1. Chapter 1

_Rating: Mature_

 _Archive Warning: Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con_

 _Category: F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M_

 _Fandom: One Piece_

 _Relationship: Roronoa Zoro & Sanji, Monkey D. Luffy & Nefertari Vivi _

_Character: Roronoa Zoro, Sanji (One Piece), Jewelry Bonney, Emporio Ivankov, Monkey D. Luffy, Nami (One Piece), Usopp, Tony Tony Chopper, Johnny (One Piece), Yosaku (One Piece)_

 _Additional Tags: Bad Cop Roronoa Zoro, Slut Sanji, Angst, Other Additional Tags to Be Added_

* * *

_**A/N:**_ _First of all, Thank you so so so much, HelAuditore for betaing! You're a gem! 3_

 _Secondly, All the appearances are post time skip with a touch of originality. So if I write that Zoro has both his eyes (despite having a scar on one), then he has them. Or that Sanji has no curly brows, then he doesn't. It's an OOC fic, do not even think about mixing it with Oda Sensei's work. One Piece belongs to Oda but the fic belongs to me. Enjoy the angst my lovelies…_

 _There are mixed POVs._

 ** _Prologue_**

 _"Fuck you."_

 _The blond sat across me, his hair partially falling on his face, hiding his young fair skin that shone with sweat under the only light in the room. We caught him when we took down Doflamingo and he had no passport on him. He was on drugs and was silent, following along in his high, but as soon as he had sweated off the opium, his tongue had found its use and he had started to mouth off any person who tried talking to him._

 _We didn't know anything about who he was. He could have been a terrorist, he could have been a thief, he could have been any or everything that was wrong with society. What we did know, or at least thought we knew, was that he was French. His accent was heavy and judging him to be one on the basis of that could be considered stereotypical, since he hadn't actually conversed in the mentioned language. He pronounced his words like the vowels deserved almost no attention and 'h' probably did not exist in his vocabulary. He barely moved his thin lips when he spoke. It was weird to hear perfect English profanities in such a soft tone but he pulled it off with his expressions, though his eyes remained stoic when he wasn't observing his surroundings._

 _"I told you." His voice was laced with irritation, quite easily recognisable with his accent thickening as he started losing his temper, "He bought me to fuck. I don't know anything else."_

 _"Then you should have no problem telling me who you work for."_

 _He paused, his brows furrowed and I doubt he realized that he was biting on his lower lip as he looked me in the eye, obviously struggling with what he should tell and what he shouldn't. I could see the honesty in his eyes though. I could tell he wasn't lying. But I couldn't go to my higher ups and tell them that I had a 'hunch' that the blond was not lying._

 _He took a deep breath, hopefully deciding to tell me something so I could help him get out of the mess he had stuck himself into, "I... can't tell." He whispered, his voice going even deeper than it already was, like he really wanted me to believe what he was saying. Like it was the truth and he couldn't help it._

 _I got up and walked out the door, knowing that my face betrayed no emotion though it wasn't needed, his eye didn't follow me as I went. The air of the corridor rustled my hair as I walked out the interrogation room and Zoro was already standing next to me. I looked at him, a smug smile set on his face as he looked at me. He loved this. He loved breaking them so they spilled the beans. He never failed in retrieving information and it was quite safe to assume that his techniques were not very peaceful._

 _"Get me all you can on him." I ordered him. He needed the word. He needed permission from his head so he could take charge of the situation. He grinned at me and leaned off the screen, nodding once before entering the door I had shut behind me._

 ** _Do It Right_**

 ** _Chapter One_**

He looked at the man who entered after the _good cop._ He looked like a typical thug who was put into a work shirt, pants and shoes. The gun belt was just added to the image, hugging him around his upper abs and dipping under his taught pectorals. He had grey eyes and was looking at the blond like he was a prey.

"So you're the bad cop." The blond stated, his voice sounding slightly bored and the accent heavily dipped in French.

Zoro had seen the man from the observation room. He had seen him when he was arrested, looking out of it when he was cuffed. But now that he was watching him up close he realized how young the man was. He was probably his own age, maybe a year younger, but that was about it. And he was a whore.

The green haired officer smirked at him, nodding sharply and took a seat on the other side of the desk. "So, are you gonna speak or do I need to do what they show in the movies?" He asked, removing a pack of cigarette from his pocket and tapping one out. He saw as the blond's eye fixate on it momentarily before returning to meet his eyes.

"I have nothing to tell."

Zoro arched an eyebrow at the statement. "Do you smoke?"

"Yes."

He bent forward and offered him a cigarette from his pack which the blond accepted along with the match. His hands were shaking a little but Zoro doubted that it was because of fear. He slipped the deathstick between his lips and got the light on the other end. He looked at Zoro as he sucked on it, his visible blue eye raking over his face and lingering on the scar that adorned his left eye. He puffed for a second then let out the smoke, "I still have nothing to tell."

Zoro sighed and leaned back in his chair, removing the cigarette butt from between his own lips as he did, "You're a small fry. Nothing that comes out of your mouth will help our case. But we have rules. Rules that should eat shit but that exist, so I am going to need you to spill or I have other ways that won't be as friendly as that cigarette in your cock sucking mouth is."

The man looked at Zoro passively in the midst of the smoke slowly spiraling the room and gave him a smirk when his short speech ended, "Do you imagine me sucking your cock, officer mosshead?"

"I have better people to imagine," Zoro grunted, "Those with some respect for their body." He then leaned in again, snuffing his stick on the metal surface of the desk, "I don't want to waste too much time on you. You're definitely not worth it. Give us your details and if you're clean, you get to walk free and whore your way through every household that will have you."

The blond still looked unfazed though and that gave Zoro all the answers he needed.

He got up and a second later, the lithe man was sprawled on the floor, the sound of hard skin smacking against soft skin resonating in the room. One fist wrapped around the collar of his shirt and pulled him up in a weird sitting position while the other got hold of his hair and pulled back, making his fair skin shine like a pearl under the light hanging above them. His eyes were closed but the area on his face where he had been slapped was already flaming red, the shape - part of his hand that had contacted the man.

"Well, you bruise like a woman. Guess DoFlamingo took you in thinking you were a girl."

Despite the fact that the slap had to have hurt, the man chuckled dryly at the joke, his eyes opening for a second before the light from above hit him and he shut them again. Zoro had to admit that the man had guts, but that only irked him a little and he pulled his head back further, enough to hear a creak and the man's hand came to rest on his wrist, not holding him but just touching.

Pathetic.

The way his hand was trembling was pathetic. It was like the man had no control over himself.

"Tell me who you work for."

The man kept silent, his expression remaining stoic and his eyes still screwed shut to shield them from the light above. Zoro shook his head, making him gasp and open his eyes.

"Tell. me. Who you work for."

It went on for an hour. Merciless beating, mental beration, threats. But nothing worked. No hit received a yell of pain, no words gauged a reaction, no threats made a base. He wouldn't even disclose his name. A typical slut's answer, the only answer he received - I am whoever you want me to be.

It was so simple. All the man had to do was take a name and everything would be done with. They knew many prostitution lords but they had no proof or evidence to arrest most of them. If just one witness spoke, they would be able to gather so many more and be able to have a proper case to shut down an organisation. So, why was such a simple thing going unanswered? Why would the chance of leaving a life like that behind being passed so easily?

There were only two reasons Zoro could think of. _One: the man liked his profession._

He held the blond against the wall, his lips bruised, eye swollen shut and Zoro knew for a fact that he had broken a few ribs underneath the shirt that moved as he wheezed.

 _Two: He was being blackmailed._

"Look at me."

The change in his tone was probably what surprised the man enough to follow the order with a little eye fluttering, his sight unfocused before it set back on him. "We can help. Whatever it is. We can help get you out of it."

The blue eye seemed to widen a little at his words and Zoro's doubts were confirmed. Definitely blackmailed. Zoro let go of his shirt and the man slumped against the wall, his knees shaking in the effort to keep him standing. "Tell me who do you work for." he repeated, softly. Softer than he had meant for it to sound.

He could see the wheels in the grey matter under the sun kissed hair, whir and strain as they worked and processed what he was being told. Zoro didn't blame him, he had hit him hard and the man was definitely whoozy.

"I… can't." He whispered as Zoro saw resolve still in his eyes and his gaze shifted to the ground.

"You can't." Zoro repeated after him, his mind working perfectly, "You would though, if you could?". It wasn't really a question. He knew the answer to that and he wasn't surprised when the man kept his eyes on the ground. "You disgust me. You have an option and you're being a coward. A slut and a coward. A creature meant to be shunned and repulsed."

He walked over to the desk and picked the discarded cigarette pack as the blonde slid to the floor, his breathing shallow and arms coming to hug himself around his ribs.

Zoro took a seat as he puffed on a new smoke, and stared at him with the same disgust that he mentioned in his eyes.

"A fucking coward. The number of lives that could be saved… all of them bound where they are because _you can't_! Do you actually own a dick or have you completely turned yourself into a simpering girl?"

Of all the things that could have made him react, being called a girl is what the man evidently took as an insult. His body stiffened and Zoro could hear the man snarl a little, yet he still didn't speak and that just got too much for him. How pathetic and self centred could anyone get?

He got up and walked to him, noticing how the man didn't waver an inch as he approached him. He was about to punch him when the door opened behind him, and Nami's voice snapped at him. "I think that's enough for now. Take a break."

Zoro froze in his position, wanting to deliver the punch intended for the man, but he knew he was verging on cruelty for personal instincts so he relaxed and turned around to leave the room as Nami walked over to the blond and talked to him in an unusually kind voice. He heard a small wince before he shut the door behind him.

They were sitting on Usopp's desk, which was amongst the many present in the packed station. The floor above them held the interrogation rooms and the hospital wing. The one above it held the offices of all the high officials who needed a room for the files that crowded their desk. Zoro's office was up there too, but he preferred visiting it about an hour or two before he had to go home. Files were boring.

"Has anyone lasted one hour before?" Tony asked as he inspected Zoro's knuckles. The doctor knew that Zoro loved to make criminals talk, but there were times when he had to do the same to the innocent. He usually emerged from the room looking mildly defeated every time the latter happened, and today was one of those days.

Zoro frowned as he thought back, searching for an answer. "No. At least not from what I recall. Damnit!" he sighed and leant forward, Tony let go of his hand as he did, "He's being blackmailed, I am sure of that."

"Did you offer him help?"

Zoro nodded in response, turning to look at the man "I did. The idiot wouldn't budge."

A commotion made everyone look up and Zoro was on his feet in an instant as he made his way to the stairs.

The blond was holding the prostitution lord, Ivan, by his collar as he pressed him against the wall. He was screaming at him in French while the man laughed openly in return, giving him a sneering reply in the same language. It really surprised Zoro that the blond had enough energy left inside of him after being beaten the way he had been, even Nami and Kuina were failing to pull him away.

When a fist finally collided with Iva's repulsive face, Zoro decided it was time to intervene, so he pushed Nami and Kuina off the lithe man and got his arms around his ribs, making it a point to press in at the areas where he knew it would hurt. It made the man wince and cough but he still didn't let go of the cheap leather jacket.

He pulled again, this time harder and the man almost screamed and pushed back into Zoro's chest, one hand coming to claw at the suffocating bind while the other still held Ivan. Nami's hand encircled around his wrist and his head snapped aside to look at her.

Things suddenly calmed down as the man stopped resisting and all the officers surrounding him stilled in their movements. He let go of the drag queen, hand coming to rest over Zoro's, eye fixed on Nami's, his breathing ragged and his posture now slumping.

"Well, what are you idiots waiting for?" Zoro snapped, "Get him to the cells." he motioned to the purple haired freak and everyone startled back into their work.

As that happened, the man's knees buckled and it took Zoro by surprise, making him bend to his own knees. His head had slumped down as it usually did in defeat and he was shaking uncontrollably. Tony was at Zoro's side in an instant, "Hold him up a little, Zoro, I need to check if he is alright."

He did as he was told and held up the limp blond against his chest. The man had tears trailing down his face and his mouth was slightly agape, but no sound escaped him. This seemed to be hurting him more than any of the punches Zoro delivered on him. Tony got to work on opening a couple of his shirt buttons. As soon as the cold metal of the stethoscope touched his bruised skin, the man gasped and he blinked his eyes open, as if returning to the present.

He looked up to see Tony and his hand came up to wrap around his wrist in a surprisingly strong hold, his eyes suddenly begging. The doctor looked at him with wide eyes " _S'il vous plaît._ " he whispered, his voice laced in pathetic helplessness.

"Lay him down, he's having an anxiety attack." Tony ordered and Zoro did as he was told, making the blond look at him as he was turned. His eyes grew wide when he saw him and his hand left Tony's to fist around the grey fabric of Zoro's shirt.

" _Vous dites que vous voulez aider._ I'll tell you everything. Just help Bonney." Tony inserted a needle in his bicep just then and he winced softly, but the helplessness in his voice had been replaced by determination, though still laced with desperate begging. " _Sauvegarder Bonney._ Get her someplace safe. _S'il vous plaît."_

Zoro looked deep into his eyes. He didn't understand French, but what the blonde said in English was enough to guess what he was trying to say.

"You will tell us everything if we save Bunny?"

"Bonney. Oui." His hold on Zoro's collar was starting to get weaker as he started to breathe easier. His eyes were starting to droop and voice got deeper with every word he spoke. " _S_ 'il vous plaît. High Rise Gardens... Flat 6 B..."

Doubts and questions flooded Zoro's mind. He had beaten this blond to a pulp, yet he had refused to tell him anything. Now, a drag prostitution queen arrives and suddenly he is willing to cooperate? He was having an anxiety attack because of him.

"Please…"

Zoro could see the blond slipping, the drug Tony just gave him was taking effect, so he nodded solemnly. "Alright. We'll get her."

The hand finally loosened and the medics, whom Zoro had not noticed, started to transfer the man onto a stretcher. He got up and turned to Nami as Tony hurried with his patient to the medic bay.

"Nami."

"Yes sir." She saluted deftly, her hands knitting behind her back and chest pumping out.

"You got the name and address?" Zoro questioned her as he again headed for the stairs, Nami following him a step behind.

"I did,sir."

"I want to see her in my office in an hour." He turned to look at her and raised an eyebrow when he noticed that she was still behaving formally.

"I'll handle it. Where are you going, sir?"

"To meet Luffy."

"Of course." She nodded and relaxed her stance a little, a sly smile coming on her face.

"What?" Zoro asked, a little wary. She seriously changed her behaviour way too much for him to be comfortable with.

"The stairs are in the opposite direction." She smirked, her eyes sparkling.

Zoro growled when he noticed that she was right. He walked past her, "Do your job, woman." he rumbled as he did.

"With pleasure, sir." She responded, before walking off.

Zoro trailed the right path, his mind running the case over and over in his head. He knocked when he reached Monkey D. Luffy's office and entered when he was called to do so.

Luffy looked up from his paperwork, his glasses set at the end of his nose threatening to fall off when his face broke into a huge grin.

"Did he speak?" He asked, motioning to the chair in the room. He had taken off his jacket and he looked really tired, despite the positivity and the energy still surrounding him.

Zoro sighed as he closed the door and walked over to take the offered seat. "No."

"No?"

"No."

They stared at each other for a bit, Zoro waiting for his captain to speak his exceptional mind. Then Luffy grinned again. "I like him!" he rumbled.

Zoro snorted, "Why am I not surprised?" he looked pointedly to the glass of whiskey set on Luffy's desk. "You got more of that?" he asked, pointing at it with his chin.

Luffy nodded and got up, turning towards one of the shelves in the room and opening it to reveal the haul. Alcohol was a necessity in this profession. They would never get drunk in the office but they definitely needed a shot once in a while to relieve some stress.

As Luffy picked a glass, Zoro continued. "Smoker arrested Ivan?" he asked.

"Yes," Luffy nodded to nothing in particular as he added an ice cube to the glass, "I have no clue on what basis though. Why do you ask?" He picked up the bottle to pour an acceptable amount of Bourbon.

"Blondie reacted to Ivan, when they were transferring him from the interrogation room." Zoro replied.

That made Luffy raise his eyebrows as he turned around and walked back to his desk, "That's interesting." He commented as he handed over the drink to Zoro who nodded both in agreement and thanks.

"Well, he is being blackmailed. Or at least his family is. He asked me to get this… Bunny for him. Said he would talk if I did." He brought the glass to his lips and took a sip, letting the alcohol slowly burn his throat. "I agreed." He added as he swirled the drink between the cubes to get it more diluted.

Luffy hummed, "That's good. So, you need me to talk to Smoker?"

Zoro nodded again, he never understood why some people thought Luffy was a fool. The man analyzed a situation faster than anyone else and was willing to take the steps needed before someone even asked him to. "It would be for the best. The cases should be joined." He took a large gulp this time, finishing off the drink before standing up and setting the glass back on the desk.

It took more than an hour to get Bonney to the station. As a matter of fact, it had been three hours ago that Zoro had told Nami to to get her and she had appointed Johnny and Yosaku to do the job. Nami was sitting on one of the seats in the room, her foot making circles and eights in the air as she waited for her men to come back, her face set in a pokerish scowl (the type you want to hide but fail miserably at). Zoro did what he did best and ignored her as he worked on his files. What use was worrying?

Laughter suddenly erupted from outside and Zoro and Nami both snapped their heads in the direction of his door. The sound of muffled high heels clicking against the carpeted tiles reached their ears and not a second later, Zoro's door opened with enough force to make it ricochet off the wall it was slammed into had it not been held in place by a manicured hand.

A tall girl stood in the doorway, her pink dyed hair which was currently held together in a bun. Stray strands stuck out from it and fell effortlessly to frame her face. She was panting a little, covered in sweat and was scowling murderously at the two humans gaping at her in the room. She had no makeup on and was dressed in simple black slacks and a white tank top that hugged her curves perfectly.

Behind her stood Johnny and Yosaku who looked like they had emerged from a baton charge. Johnny had a swollen lip and a black eye, while Yosaku's cheek was as swollen as an egg and his forehead held a similar bump. Apart from that, they seemed to be covered in bruises and their clothes were torn at a few places. Zoro could make out a couple of fingernail scratches in those areas.

"Is this a joke?" The lady... Bonney… spat out.

Zoro's eyes went back to her and saw the fire in those blue eyes and the irritation on her face, none of which she was trying to hide. It was Nami who replied to her question, standing when she saw the state of her officers.

"Joke? Is police business a joke to you?"

Bonney turned to growl at her, her teeth bared as she stepped into the room and walked up to the gingerhead. "Sorry missy. But what do you expect me to think if these two," she jerked her head in the direction of the two beaten up officers, "come to me and tell me that some blond man wants me to be brought to safety?"

"What is wrong with that?" Zoro asked her and she turned to look at him.

She raked her eyes from his head to… well pectorals (the rest was hidden behind the desk.). She grunted and kicked a chair back and sat on it, her legs apart. She looked like one of those girls a mother would find fault in all the time,

"Well, Mr." She glanced at his name plate, "Roro….. Zoro. If you must know, it's not too difficult to make a fake ID now a days. And then these two turn up on my doorstep like some Bond twins! And as if that wasn't enough, some blond is suddenly very concerned about my safety. What do you expect me to think?"

"I still fail to see why you beat up my officers." Nami asked, her voice iced with suppressed anger.

At that Bonney smirked a little. "Well, not knowing any blond men should be a reason enough."

Zoro sat up on his seat slowly and stared in her eyes. She didn't blink or budge and simply stared back at him coldly.

"Miss Bunny, if it is found out that you have lied, you will be arrested. Laying hands on police is an offense in its own. You don't want more on your case." He said in his most calm voice.

What did she mean when she said she didn't know any blond men? It was the most vague statement ever made. He knew ten blond men off the top of his head.

"I'm not lying. I know blond men, officer but you see, I had just returned from a party when these two came. And they were all there when I left. I live five minutes away from the club. Are you saying that you managed to arrest one of my friends in fifteen minutes and sent your men in the same time frame? And the name is Bonney, not Bunny. Say my name wrong again and you might find my foot up your…"

"You don't know a French man, about six foot tall and blond, then?" Nami intervened before the lady could finish her _threat._

Bonney froze where she sat and was silent for about two seconds before turning to look at Nami, "French?" She questioned, her voice wavering a little as she spoke.

"Yes." Nami nodded, "And he is as tall as the officer that you were just insulting. And he is thin. Ring any bells?"

Bonney's eyebrows furrowed and she glared at Nami with hatred shooting from her eyes, "I don't appreciate such jokes." She hissed between her teeth.

Zoro picked up his phone and pressed 3. He waited for Usopp to answer the call as Nami retorted to the lady.

"Miss Bonney, this is the last time I am telling you. You have been called in for a serious issue. Please stop taking this lightly."

Usopp answered the call "Usopp. Bring the blond's file up here." He cut the call after hearing the man affirm and turned back to look at Bonney. "Maybe a photograph will help?" he said and he noticed the lady slump on her chair, staring at the edge of his desk pointedly. She looked unsettled.

Usopp arrived a minute later and looked around nervously as he walked into the uncomfortable silence. He took in his two partners sitting on the couch looking at the ground with huge frowns, and Nami sitting next to a pink haired lady while Zoro looked up at him as he handed over the file. He went and sat next to his co-workers to see what this was all about. Zoro picked out the picture attached on the first page in the file handed it over to the lady.

If there was uncomfortable silence before, it was nothing compared to the cold dread that suddenly filled the room, and it was now threading deafness. The lady stopped breathing and Usopp almost thought that she wouldn't breath again when she finally released the breath she had held in. Nami and Zoro exchanged a glance, unsure of how to react. The lady was breathing deeply, her eyes fixed on the blond man's face, unblinking and seemingly lost to the surrounding.

A few seconds passed, feeling like an eternity when she finally blinked. She opened her mouth to speak but no words came out, so she pressed her lips together again as she gulped, her eyes not leaving the photograph. She cleared her throat and tried to speak again. Her voice came out strained and a little rough. "Did you… Did he say what his name was?"

Eyes met again before Zoro replied, "No."

She nodded slightly.

"So, you know him?" Zoro asked, his voice polite.

Bonney laughed in a hollow manner before licking her lower lip and then looking back at the man. "Oh I know him. This man," she flapped the picture in her hand, "He was… is... my late adoptive brother. Sanji Noir. He died ten years ago."

Silence fell in the room again as everyone let the news settle. Zoro was… surprised. He had been guessing that the girl probably just had no clue of being a target of some threat. It wasn't uncommon. People hid these things from their loved ones so that they didn't worry too much, but this just went beyond anything that he had imagined.

"My!" She whispered, almost talking to herself rather than anybody else, looking at that face again. "He's turned into a fine man. Lost his curls..." She traced her finger along his face on the flimsy paper. "Is he here? Can I meet him?" She asked.

Nami was the one to reply, having already snapped out of shock.

"He is currently admitted in the medical bay. Out cold. We could take you there if you wish." She said.

Bonney blinked once before turning to look at Zoro, a small smile settled on her lips. "Out cold, huh? Why do I feel that you have interrogated him?"

Zoro looked back in those blue eyes. Using violence to make a man speak was illegal. Very few people knew that. And even fewer reported it. He nodded, "It was important to persuade him to talk." He said.

"And… did he?"

"He told us to get you to safety. Then he would talk."

She hummed and sat back in her seat, "Despite what you say, I doubt that it were your methods that made him talk."

Zoro leaned back in his seat as well and cocked his head to the side to study the lady. She wasn't dumb. Far from it. She was actually interpreting the situation right and was surprisingly calm for someone who just came to know their dead brother wasn't dead. He nodded once to accept his defeat in retrieving information from... _Sanji._ Her smile faded a little at that.

"Why was he arrested?" She asked instead of continuing on the topic.

"He was caught in the midst of a drugs bust. His tests reveal quite a noticeable amount of cocaine in his system. He is probably addicted."

She looked slightly nauseous before she asked the next question. "Was he the only one there?"

"No."

"Was he the only one you interrogated?"

Zoro paused again before replying. "Yes."

"Why?"

"Apart from the drug consumption, he had no papers on him. He was the only one we had to dig for details. You should know, we all believe that he is innocent of the crime that we are investigating, but we need proof to set him free. Maybe even help him in getting citizenship."

She held his gaze when he finished for a while, her eyes searching. "And what is it that you aren't telling me?"

Was there a better way to say it? Maybe he could skip the details and give her the bigger picture.

"He uses his body to earn a living."

He expected her to deny what he said. Maybe even lash out on him. But she surprised him again by chuckling dryly.

"Were you that polite with him when you _questioned_ him?" She asked.

Before Zoro could even think of an answer to that, she turned to look at Nami.

"I want to see him." She stated, setting the picture on the desk. Nami nodded sharply and stood up. The two left the room in silence and Zoro stared at Usopp who stared back at him.

"She's got balls." The long nosed man stated. Zoro huffed a laugh and nodded. She definitely did! and she was braver than most men working right in that building. He appreciated said quality in a person when he saw it and immediately took a liking to them. She was definitely one of them. And frankly, so was Sanji.

A new case… more dirt. More minds to fuck. More sleepless nights. The image of the man practically begging him to save his sister rose in front of his eyes. A sister to whom he had been dead for ten years.

He sprang to his feet as he suddenly realized his mistake. He looked at Johnny and Yosaku who were staring at him intently from where they sat on his office couch.

"You two. Go to the wing and get yourselves patched up." he barked at them. The two nodded at him and proceeded to slowly exit the room.

As soon as they left, Zoro turned to look at Usopp who looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "What is it?"

"Sanji… he didn't go to meet his sister for the past ten years."

"Yes. And?"

"She thought he was dead."

"Okay…" Usopp said uncertainly, obviously not getting it.

"No, Usopp. I don't think he wanted her to know that he is alive. He definitely had the chance to let her know. But he hasn't done that. He asked me to keep her safe. Not to get her here."

Usopp looked at Zoro blankly for a few seconds before stating the obvious.

"You fucked up."

 _ **To Be Continued...**_

 _Please do drop reviews, it really motivates me to keep writing! ^_^_


	2. Chapter 2

**_I am so late with the next chapter and I am so sorry about it. Real life was just not letting me concentrate on this fic. I am going to try and update it as regularly as I can now._**

 ** _Second, I said in the previous chapter that Sanji died 10 years ago.. but I realized that it doesn't fit with the story I have planned.. So it's 3 years now._**

 ** _Hope you like the chapter!_**

 _ **WARNING: there is minor graphic description of burnt flesh in the chapter.**_

 _ **Chapter 2**_

Bonney had broken down the moment she had seen Sanji, his face was a majority of bruises and his torso was tied in tight bandages. IVs were pinned into his veins, an oxygen mask was placed over his face and his long legs were hidden under the blanket. But none of those were the reason.

What got to her was listening to the heart monitor, the heavy breathes released, watching the soft twitch of the eyelids, all the signs showing that Sanji - though hurt, was alive and breathing.

Nami had tried consoling her, hadn't left her side till Bonney starting breathing properly again. She had then left the siblings almost alone - one cop was placed at the corner of the room, two more outside the door.

It had taken Bonney an hour and half to shift from the sofa in the distance, to stop staring at Sanji like he was a ghost and sit on the uneasy chair next to the hospital bed.

She had brushed Sanji's hair with her fingers, watching the features on his face - his eyes had dark circles under them, and the curls were removed from his forehead. His nose looked a bit more sharper and his lower lip was definitely fuller. He also had a goatee and a sorry excuse of a moustache. But underneath all that, she could see the semblance of the brother she remembered.

A knot formed in her throat and she gulped painfully, her eyes suddenly pricking as flashes of her brother before he left that day ran across her eyes.

 _Sanji grinned at her, his teeth shining white in the sun and blonde hair bouncing to cover one side of his face, tickling the dimple on his left cheek as he bent a little lower to hug her goodbye. Older though she was, Bonney was a few inches shorter than him and Sanji's puberty was filled with a growth spurt._

 _He hugged her tightly almost picking her off her feet, "Uhhhh! I wish you could come." He groaned before letting go._

" _Yeah well," Bonney grinned, patting his shoulder "Second time you're meeting him, I'd rather not be playing gooseberry. Plus, remember when you left your skype logged into my desktop last week?"_

" _Yup!" the 'p' popping as Sanji bent to pick his bag from the trunk._

" _Yeah, I read that. I really don't wanna be there. Our room walls are thin and I've heard enough for a lifetime."_

 _Sanji looked horrified, jaw hanging open and staring at her in disbelief, "Why would you do that?"_

 _Bonney shrugged, turning to shut the trunk and lock it._

" _Oh my poor poor sister!" The laughter could be heard clearly in Sanji's voice as he acted horrified, one hand placed over his chest dramatically, "Oh! Your poor eyes!"_

" _Oh!" Bonney closed her eyes and turned sideways- equally dramatic, hiding her face in her bent elbow while her other hand splayed out to the other side, "The horror! It's blinded me! Go to church, my son. Cleanse yourself and atone for your sins!"_

 _Sanji laughed again and Bonney joined in while he extracted another bag from the backseat._

" _Alright," he pressed a small kiss against her cheek, "see you in a month."_

" _Yes. Call when you reach. And take photos. Remember, you're sight seeing for me too!"_

" _Yes ma'am!"_

 _A small salute and he turned around to walk over the entry, passport at the ready while he carried the baggage with the other hand, his black jacket ruffling like always behind him, hair blowing with the wind._

 _The security guard checked the ticket and identification then stepped aside to let him in. Sanji turned with a wide smile and waved a final time before entering._

Tears welled up in her eyes again and she bit her lip to hold back her sob.

When Zeff and her had received the news of the hotel fire killing many, one of them Sanji, they had refused to believe it. They had hurried over to Paris, and the police had escorted them to a room with all the charred bodies hidden under thin white blankets accompanied with the rotten smell of burnt flesh and hospital sanitizer infused in one.

They made them stand next to the body labeled '3' and showed them the ring found on the finger, the half burnt shoes the body had, the chunk of hair left on a small space on the scalp and then proceeded to show his wallet - half burnt. The id had been burnt too, leaving behind a part of Sanji's brow curl and blonde hair in the photograph and his name on the other side.

When Zeff had asked to see under the blanket, the authorities warned them that it was gruesome and not what he would want to remember of his son. Zeff insisted, saying that ignoring it doesn't mean it didn't happen.

 _Bonney had been quite, unable to process fully the meaning of it all but then they removed the blanket and she saw a body the same height of her brother, covered in third degree burns, skin rotten and disfigured, some places void of any, the flesh burnt to the core, the bone's black visible. there was no skin on the face, one dead blue eyeball staring nowhere the other socket empty, red flesh still sticking to the skull and jaw in places…_

 _They had been right, she didn't want to see him that way._

Bonney blinked out of the memory of that day, looking at her very alive brother and gulped. That was then. That was three years ago. What had happened, why were the evidence framed… She didn't know, and for the time being, she didn't want to either.

Right now Sanji was here and alive, and possibly in some trouble and she would do all that was in her power to keep him safe.

His hand was lying in a lax position next to her, Palm facing slightly up and fingers slightly curled, and she held it in her own, feeling the warmth of his living body and the mild beat of his heart. As if he had been waiting for it, Sanji closed his fingers around her hand to hold her in place, his body relaxing visibly.

Bonney sighed, also relaxing, the truth of the moment finally settling in her.

Sanji is alive.

000

Tony knocked once, wanting to warn the feisty lady, before opening the door slowly and peeking in.

The pink haired lady had stormed into the building yesterday with Johnney and Yosaku trailing at a safe distance behind her, both sprouting various injuries. No one tried stopping her, somehow, no one had the guts to, but it did attract some laughs at the officers' expense. Usopp had tried to confront her, asked her very timidly as to why she was here and she had glared him to the ground.

Right now, she seemed to be sleeping, head resting on crossed arms as she slumped over the bed next to Sanji's unconscious form. She was drooling a little and her deep cut tank top did very little to hide her… Stuff.

Tony entered the room, asking the cop sitting in the corner staring at her breasts to leave so he could proceed with his check ups. He picked the extra blanket laying on the sofa, and gently wrapped it around Bonney's sleeping frame, before walking over to check on Sanji, starting by checking the progress of his face bruises.

The bruises were healing well and the oxygen level was a healthy 99 on the monitor. Tony shifted the knob to cut off the air supply and then removed the mask, keeping an eye on the monitor as he moved further down. The shoulder and right arm were exposed all night and were mildly cold to touch so he shifted the blanket a little to set the arm under it - all done carefully so as to avoid waking Bonney up.

Sanji had high pain tolerance, Nami had told him that he barely grunted when Zoro was beating him. He also had high drug tolerance indicating previous use. Urine examination and blood work had come up clean though so it had possibly passed out of his system before they could test it or it was one of the new drugs that they had caught Doflamingo with - it didn't show on tests yet.

Yesterday, Tony had to administer alarming quantities of painkillers before he could start working on Sanji's ribs and bruises. The blonde had still not passed out so the doctor injected him with more nerve relaxants.

So, it was not a surprise that Sanji was still asleep, it was actually good for him, his body was hurt and overworked by the looks of it. Apart from the beating Zoro gave him yesterday, the man had clearly faced abuse in the past. Scars ran all over his back, wrists, thighs, calves and ankles. His hips were in a similar state and there were untreated wounds in his anus and around the base of his penis.

Tony didn't know what the reason was for Sanji holding his tongue, but it was obvious to everyone on the case now that it was related to Bonney. And no matter how Tony saw it, he couldn't help but see Sanji as a fighter.

000

Someone tapped Sanji's shoulder and he blinked awake, the blanket he had snuggled into on his seat dislodging itself as he moved. The air hostess was giving him a rather genuine smile, "We'll be arriving at the destination shortly. I would request you to please, fasten your seatbelt and pull your chair upright."

"Oh.." Sanji mumbled, his brain still sleep addled, "oh... Do I have ten minutes to use the restroom, my lady?" He asked, realising just then that he slept throughout the flight. Ace would be there to receive him and Sanji probably looked a mess right now.

"Five minutes, top, sir." She smiled again and proceeded to wake other costumers, her smile going a little more tight as she approached them.

Sanji sighed in his seat, giving himself another few seconds to wake up before bending to pick his carry baggage and stood up to walk to the washroom. It was empty, luckily. He locked himself in, kept the bag on the small counter and turned to lighten himself. Once done, he proceeded to wash his hands and face.

The reality of the moment started to dawn upon him slowly as he realised that he was finally going to get to meet Ace. After four years in a long distance relationship, he would get to meet his boyfriend. His grin spread from one ear to the other as he fished out his toothbrush and toothpaste. He'd slept for 8 hours, his mouth stank.

About five minutes later, Sanji left the washroom, feeling refreshed as he took his aisle seat, sliding the bag under the seat in front of him and buckling his belt, excitement evident on his face as he tried, fruitlessly, to control it.

"Good evening everyone." The intercom went on as the pilot started to make the landing announcement. "We will be touching down in Los Angeles International Airport shortly. The temperature outside is a calm 18 degree Celsius..."

Sanji tuned out the rest of it as he tried to peek out the window of his neighbour. All the shutters were now up. He still couldn't see anything other than evening clouds at this angle. Restless, he settled back and stared at the no smoking and belt sign that had been lighted up. Staring... Not looking, his mind elsewhere as he remembered every moment in the past four years when he had yearned to just meet Ace... Hug him, hold him, kiss him... All of those were now bubbling together in his heart.

Was Ace going to be late? Sanji wouldn't be mad if he would... He had heard that LA traffic was bad... Was the flight late? It definitely took off on time.. Should he ask the attendant? No.. That would be silly.

What would Ace be wearing? Sanji had hinted that he liked him with open hair... The man usually tied it into a bun to keep it out of his face, he was a fire fighter after all. But still... In the late night Skype sessions before Ace went to sleep, he usually kept his hair open and they were usually a mess and Sanji loved it. He liked the way they touched his face... Hid it from time to time when he tried to shy off.

His heart fluttered harder as he remembered those moments and the ones when Ace was so exhausted that he fell asleep mid chat. His snores were soft... But then it could be bad microphone connection... And his face went fully lax as he cuddled the comforter, looking innocent and vulnerable. Sanji never cut those sessions till he had had his fill of watching the man sleep, like a stalker.

It quite embarrassed him at times, that he could be so romantically attached to a person.

000

The grin on his face was shining... Sanji was giving off an aura so positive and so impatient - it showed and affected the people near him. He stood infront of the luggage carrier belt, bouncing on the toes of his feet, controlling the urge to leave the bag and just go out to where Ace might be waiting.

A kid sitting on the trolley held by her mommy was looking up at Sanji, curious expression on her face as she looked at him shifting, leaning back and forth to see if his luggage had been added to the belt. Sensing eyes on him Sanji looked down, the girl continuing to gaze at him, looking for a reaction.

Sanji smiled at her, warmth filling his heart when she let out a childish giggle and shied away to look at her mother overhead, chubby fingers going in her little mouth to gnaw at them, glad to have him smiling at her. He chuckled back and shook his head, returning the gaze to to the slowly emerging luggage, to see that his brown bag was finally out and slowly making its way to him.

A few minutes later, he was walking towards the visible exit sign, stepping fast and in an urgency, scanning the crowd outside. There was definitely a rush and there were many people, some seemingly as excited as him, who wanted to hurry out. Readjusting his carry bag he breathed a sigh of relief when he exited the air conditioned hall and walked out into hot air, the sounds of traffic and people greeting his ears as he scanned the crowd, heart thumping against his chest, looking for a sign of the freckled face.

"Sanji!"

He heard his name over the crowd and snapped his head to the left, trying to spot the owner of the smooth baritone. His heart leapt to his throat when he finally saw him, tall and lanky, dark eyes curtained by black hair, grinning as he waved at Sanji, the excitement on his face only rival to Sanji's.

Sanji didn't realise when he started moving but he was now practically running towards the man, heart hammering and calling out Ace's name once before slamming into him, enveloping the bigger man into his arms, hugging him tight, the embrace returned with equal favour, laughs erupting from both of them.

Sanji couldn't believe it... He was finally meeting him. Meeting Ace after four years! The distance had seemed to be a part of him all that time, hanging at the back of his head, making him feel lonely at times, when he craved to be with Ace, craved for the older man's company, craved to just be there with him. And now that he was finally with him, all those moments felt like they never existed, like he was never alone and never away from his love.

A chuckle sounded in his ear as Ace lifted Sanji from his feet for just a couple of moments, his strong muscled arms keeping Sanji in place as the blonde laughed at the tactics, before setting him down. Ace placed a kiss on Sanji's head from where it was hidden under his jaw, nuzzled into his tan neck. "Welcome to LA," he murmured, voice so low and smooth, so different from the digitalised voice that he heard over Internet and phone, it made Sanji sigh.

He finally pulled back, out of the embrace, a little reluctant to let go, only to grin up at Ace. "It's good to be here!"

Ace nodded, eyes set on the blue ones and he leaned a little closer, halting midway, seeming to remember that they were in public as he cast a look around, cheeks pinking up a little. "We should.." He mumbled, stepping back and bending to pick Sanji's bag.

"Sure," Sanji muttered, still a little dazed, stepping alongside Ace as the man turned to walk towards the cabs. It was then that he noticed that Ace had indeed left his hair open and he was wearing a black loose red tee with black jeans. Falling a step back for a second- on purpose- Sanji noticed the snug fit the jeans had around the quaint hips. Blushing, he looked ahead again, as Ace hailed a cab.

Sitting in the back seat with Ace turned out to be a really quiet affair. They both looked out the window awkwardly as the car hurried through the streets, their hands lying at the centre, close but not touching. The radio was playing and the music and the RJs were the only thing that filled the silence. Even the cab driver seemed a little uncomfortable.

The sun was setting when the cab reached the designated street, Ace pointed at a huge apartment complex that the driver pulled over to. Standing on the path as Ace dislodged his luggage and paid the driver, Sanji looked up at the skyscraper and felt his heart beat a little faster with a mild burn on his cheeks. This is the first time he was going to visit Ace's apartment. It was making his foolishly nervous.

Heaving a sigh, he turned around when Ace thanked the driver. Sanji smiled at the driver who nodded to both and then took off. Ace turned to gleam at Sanji, the warm tones of the surrounding softening the expression more so and Sanji couldn't help but grin back.

"So.." Ace started, bending to pick Sanji's bag as Sanji bent to pick the carry on, "As you can see… it's a very comfortable street. Very homey."

Sanji nodded, looking around for the first time. Of course he hadn't noticed anything, too focused on thinking about what would happen once they entered Ace's apartment. But now that he looked around, it really was very comfortable. There were convenience and medical stores as well as a couple more of apartment complexes, a park where the parents were now fitting their kids into evening jackets or people were working out. There was also an icecream parlour and cafe joint which Sanji was not going to complain about.

Against the sunset, the whole area felt warm and cozy… natural almost.

"It is homey." He agreed.

Ace hummed, the motioned Sanji to follow him up the stairs and through the scanning doors. "This is the lobby, you can put in any complaints and stuff you have here. The lady sitting is very understanding and the cleaning and fixing staff is very consistent… I live on the 13th floor, so I usually take the lift.." Ace kept talking about any and everything in the surrounding as they rode on the elevator. The blonde couldn't help but notice that Ace's cheeks were starting to grow a little pink and so were his ears.

Sanji felt the aura add on to his nervousness and licked his lips time and again, feeling them dry up faster than normal. There was a ding announcing their arrival on the 13th floor and Ace lead the way to the door on the right. There were only three flats per floor, it seemed.

After a little fumbling, Ace finally opened the door and bent cordially, "after you, sir." He chimed and Sanji chuckled as he stepped in and stood in a broad corridor. Ace followed him and closed the door behind him.

"This way.." He motioned to a door on the left, leaving the bags on a small table set at the entrance. Sanji followed him through the door to enter a luxurious living room. A simple black sofa set and a TV along with a coffee table. The walls were full of pictures or other decorative pieces and a Play station was attached to the TV.

"Wow…" Sanji murmured, a little distracted from his initial awkwardness. The place resonated with comfort and it was helping him relax. "This is…" He turned, beaming at Ace, to compliment him on his tastes, but was unable to complete the statement as the older man was suddenly hugging him, tighter than he was at the airport, his strong arms encasing and pulling Sanji against him and head coming down to rest on the blonde's shoulder.

"I'm so glad you came." Ace whispered, and Sanji's heart melted as his own arms came up to wrap around Ace's shoulders, feeling so warm and comfortable, he never wanted to part.

"So am I." He kissed Ace's jaw, the only bit possible for him to reach. Ace's hold on him increased at that, before relaxing a little and finally facing Sanji fully. He hesitated for a moment and Sanji read the concern in his eyes flash, before they both leaned in and their lips finally met.

A tingle spread down Sanji's spine, strong and gripping, numbing his brain and body where he stood against Ace, calm and happy, lips stationary for a few seconds, both breathing in heavily, before Ace took the lead and kissed Sanji properly.

Lips moved in sync, arms holding the other tight and close together- neither wanting to part. Sanji had his eyes closed as he felt Ace's lips move against his, felt the minor lick of his tongue, felt the occasional bite of his teeth, felt the warm wetness between their moves and he couldn't remember a more happy moment in his life.

All those years spent feeling lonely and alone, vanished faster than smoke in the clear sky.

They parted after a while, short of breath, panting into each other's mouth, still holding each other close.

"I love you.."

A ringtone suddenly rang shrill, disturbing the mellow quiet and the couple jumped for a second before Ace hurried to get his mobile out from his back pocket. He looked at the screen and handed the phone over to Sanji, who received it, a little surprised. Before he looked down to see the caller id, Ace leaned him and gave him a quick peck on the lips, followed by an adoring lick and Sanji blushed furiously.

Huffing and looking down at the id as Ace finally stepped out of Sanji's space, the blonde saw his sister's name and number displayed on the screen. Raising his eyebrows, he answered without delay. Heaven and hell knew that Bonney hated it if the rings went long.

"'Ello!"

"Sanji?"

"Yes?"

"Where is Ace?"

Sanji turned sideways to see that Ace was nowhere in the room, 'I.. don't know. Why do you have Ace's number?"

"Why wouldn't I, dumbass? You're in another country, how am I supposed to contact you without Ace's number?"

"Yeah, but.. I didn't give it to you!"

"Oh, no.. I asked him using your skype the day you left it logged in."

Sanji groaned. Bonney was an amazing and cool elder sister but she had issues when it came to people Sanji got close to.

"Don't groan! Rude! How was the flight?"

"It was fine" Sanji said, shrugging out of his jacket, folding it and placing it on the top of one of the sofas neatly, phone held in place between his shoulder and ear. "Tiring, even though I slept throughout the journey."

"I see," there was a pause, then, "you should rest, don't do anything that could tire you out more."

Sanji sank into the sofa cushions and sighed, "you're not making sense."

"I'm saying that there is no need to rush things. With Ace. In any way."

Sanji let his head fall back on the sofa head, his eyes closed, "are you telling me not to have sex with him tonight?"

There was no answer from the other end and Sanji grinned to himself. His sister was such a worry wart. He had a history of making himself easily available in his past relationships, he didn't blame her.

000

"You are Ms. Bonney Black, sister of Sanji Black, daughter of Zeff Rhett Black?"

It was Bonney's turn to be sitting in the interrogation room. In front of her were Nami and Zoro. Nami was doing the talking while Zoro was sitting at her side, listening intently.

"Yes," Bonney replied. She was in the same clothes as last night, eyes a little swollen and red. She was a little concerned that Sanji hadn't woken up, but Chopper said he needed the rest.

"You claimed yesterday that your brother, Sanji, died 3 years ago?"

Bonney nodded.

"Who informed you about it?"

"We got a call from Paris police. Sanji and Ace were supposed to go sightseeing there. The lady never said her name… We didn't even ask."

"Ace!?" Zoro spoke up, suddenly, his eyes sharp.

Bonney turned to look at him, still angry that the man had hurt her brother. "Ace was Sanji's boyfriend. Sanji left Toronto to meet him in LA and they left for Paris a week later."

"Do you remember the dates?" Nami asked.

"We held the burial on 15th July so about 3 weeks prior."

"Tell us what you were shown when you reached Paris."

"There were two officers who took us first to the site, Grand Tesero, I think. There had been a fire. Sanji and Ace had died in it."

She stopped suddenly gulping strongly before going on, "they.. they took us to the hospital - Drum, there were many families there… and they showed us Sanji's body."

"Only Sanji?" Zoro said sharply.

"Yes.. They said Ace's body took more damage and had already been transferred back to LA. His father was some big shot so they had made arrangements."

"How did you know it was Sanji?" Nami asked.

"I didn't. And obviously now I know It wasn't. They just showed us some identification and some other personal belongings. His face was burnt off, we only had the proofs to go on. And the body had his clothes and hair."

"You didn't go for DNA testing?"

"No, Sanji was adopted. We had no clue who his birth parents were and if they were still alive. So no."

"There are more ways to get DNA tested." Zoro said, "I'm sure his room had a few of his hairs? That would have been enough."

"I mailed his hair to them personally, they never got back to me and always shut me out when I called them."

"That didn't seem suspicious?"

"No, it seemed like something lazy police officers would do. However, Zeff and I didn't really accept Sanji's fate for a long while. We.. Specially dad did all that we could to find a way around it. But a few months later, I guess it sunk in. Zeff wasn't able to deal with it."

Bonney paused, looking down at her fingers, blinking furiously. Nami and Zoro gave her the quiet she needed.

A few sniffs and throat clearing later, Bonney looked up.

"You never tried contacting Ace's family either?"

Bonney shook her head, "Dad blamed Ace.. he said if Sanji never went to meet him, this would never have happened."

Bonney suddenly looked remorseful as she stared at her nails. Nami and Zoro exchanged a look.

"So, no." Bonney continued, "Dad blamed Ace but he knew the other family lost their son too. I am guessing his family felt the same way, they never contacted us either."

"One last thing, Ms Black and then you can return to your brother. What were the names of the officers you dealt with?"

Bonney's face twisted in anger when Nami asked the question, "oh, I remember them clear as day. Unhelpful brats. They were Vergo and Monet."

 _ **To be continued...**_

 _ **If you liked the chapter, please do drop a review. They mean the world to me and motivates me to write.**_

 _ **\- tumblr: zosanlaw  
\- instagram: animeandfitness**_

I also got a few messages saying they love 'slut Sanji' and I would recommend you to read Spit It Out written by Helauditore. I have been glued to that fic for more than an year now and I don't think I will ever leave it. It's my favorite. The top on the list of 'best fics written ever'.

 _ **Till next time!**_


	3. Chapter 3

_Thank you so much for your kind reviews and support! It really motivated me to write the chapter! :D_

 _Tons and tons and tons of thanks to HelAuditore for betaing this chapter! You're a sweetheart!_

 _I hope you guys like this chapter, please do drop a review if you do! 3_

 _ **Chapter 3**_

Leaving the luggage next to the bed, Ace headed out the room, smiling to himself. He'd been waiting for Sanji to arrive since the moment they planned the whole trip four months ago. And the last week had passed in pure agony, every minute stretched to feel like hours. Nothing distracted him from thinking about finally meeting Sanji. He had cleaned his apartment four times last week and again in the morning, he had thought and thought about where he wanted to take Sanji for the week that they would be spending in LA. Ace lived here but somehow the city seemed a lot more interesting since he started planning trips for himself and Sanji.

Luffy had noticed his excitement. He had been pestering Ace to tell him what was up but Ace had managed to change the topic after avoiding it for a while. He had not told his family about his sexuality, he knew Garp wouldn't take it well. Cool as his grandfather was, the man was still old school and Ace could respect that. Though not telling Luffy was tough, he was sure his brother knew on some level but he was not comfortable with being out in the open about it yet. Sabo knew, but then he did walk in on Ace being fucked to oblivion one day, it hadn't been Ace's choice. He had kept the secret though, he'd been very supportive and helpful too. Ace had no clue where he was now, he was rumoured to be a part of an untracked hacking team called The Revelation.

And due to that, no-one in his family knew that he was in love, that he had met someone who understood him to his very core and supported him, kept him strong and it pained him. He had thought, at first, that it would pose an issue in their relationship when Ace didn't tell his family or friends about Sanji, but the blonde had been surprisingly understanding and said that he would never force Ace to come out till he was ready. He had even told Ace that he wouldn't tell his family about Ace if that would make him comfortable. The support had been overwhelming and Ace had fallen asleep that night listening to Sanji's mellow voice and warm hums. He remembered waking up the next day to tons of kiss and heart emojis on his whatsapp.

Heart fluttering to the memory, Ace returned to his drawing room and saw Sanji checking out his small collection of books and DVDs. Once he had taken his jacket off, he looked slimmer… though the blue tee shirt he was wearing had creased due to the journey. Realising he hadn't even offered the blonde any water, Ace hurried to the kitchen and filled two glasses of cool water, grabbed a bottle from the fridge and set the three contents on a tray. He carried them out to the drawing room, seeing Sanji holding "My Fair Lady" in his hand, as he read the summary.

"That's probably my favorite classic." Ace grinned, setting the tray on the table in front of the sofa before walking over to Sanji. "Have you seen it?"

"No," Sanji answered, smiling up at Ace, handing him the DVD, "but it sounds interesting. Let's watch it tonight."

"Aren't you tired?" Ace asked, setting the disc on the TV and pulling Sanji closer, settling his hands on the toned waist.

Sanji shrugged, his own hands coming up to grab Ace's tee shirt near his chest, feeling the muscle underneath and looking down, a little distracted with how taut he felt… he looked up again into Ace's eyes, gazing into the dark brown, flickering down the soft freckled thin nose to the mildly parched tanned lips.

Ace watched Sanji's eyes dart to his lips and controlled the urge to lick them, pulling Sanji a little closer, smiling when the gaze returned to his eyes. He saw warmth in Sanji's beautiful blue eyes, saw the tiredness in them. Saw how the black in his eyes subtly increased. Leaning in, he was gifted with small, soft kisses very close to his lips, setting off a flurry of tingles up his brain and butterflies in his stomach while his heart beat faster.

Humming and tilting his head, he caught the next kiss on his lips, eyes closing on instinct. Sanji's grip on him tightened as he sighed into it, letting Ace suck on his lower lip. Ace tasted the faint mint toothpaste that Sanji used, and licked on Sanji's lip, first outside and then slowly sliding his tongue further in, the tip meeting Sanji's.

Sanji felt Ace's tongue meet his, feeling the wet texture and tasting the tangy taste of saliva on him. He closed his lips around the muscle and sucked it softly, flicking his tongue over it, feeling his cheeks tickle with more warmth when he heard Ace inhale sharply. Bringing his teeth together, he trapped Ace between them and pulled back, feeling the hold on his waist tighten, letting his teeth brush the tip before letting go and giving it a final lick and kiss.

"I love you too..." He said.

He felt the other man smile against him and opened his eyes as Ace whispered "forever.'

Ace still had his eyes closed, and his face was radiating warmth, the smile on his face highlighted some of the freckles while his hair touched his right cheek and a part of his face was shadowed while the other reflected the light. He looked... Angelic.

Grinning automatically, Sanji placed a kiss on Ace's smiling lips and then snaked his arms around his broad chest, setting his head on the shoulder, feeling Ace's hair tickle him softly. One of Ace's hands came up to rub Sanji's head and the other held his waist as he too hid his face in the blonde's hair.

000

Bonney was not cooperating. Zoro glared at the lady, sick of her immaturity and willing to punch her in the face and smack all the piercings off it. He was holding back because Nami would end up banging his head against the wall for it. She always said that Zoro was short tempered and needed to practice self control, Zoro held the same opinion of her.

Bonney glared back, clearly not interested in talking to him. She had been told that she would be allowed to go back to Sanji after the last question but that had caused a series of further interrogations and it irked her. She needed to go to Sanji. Why couldn't they hold the interview in the ward?

Nami sighed, looking between the two while Usopp sat next to her, his drawing board and pencil in hand, looking quite interested in the scene. He added another stroke to his page, the scratching tone of pencil against paper the only sound in the room. He had been called up fifteen minutes ago by Zoro, who wanted him to draw a sketch of two men and a woman Bonney would describe.

The lady, however, was refusing to even speak and Usopp had decided to doodle the funny scene he was witnessing… He would add it to his sketchbook.

"Alright," Nami suddenly spoke, fist coming to bang on the table as she sat up straight, "you need to speak. Tell us the details and we let you go back to Sanji. Why are you being so unhelpful?"

Bonney turned to look at Nami, her eyes holding the officer's gaze in a cold stare. "You can continue this in the ward, can't you? It's you who is being unreasonable."

Behind the two sided mirror, Johnny and Yosaku mentally disagreed. How were they supposed to record a session in the ward? Plus it would get too congested and the statements could have been framed by that time.

"We cannot." Nami said, "I'm sorry Ms. Bonney but your brother's health is not exactly the best. Crowding the room can cause a problem. And Dr. Tony would never allow it."

Bonney looked at her long and hard before looking away to the opposite wall, obviously still sticking to her decision.

"Why you..." Zoro was standing and had held Bonney's tank top, pulling her off the chair to stand and glared into her eyes. Both chairs grated against the hard floor as Bonney was manhandled and Usopp shrieked in surprise. But there was not a hint of panic or surprise in Bonney's eyes. No, she was looking at him with confidence and warning, her own hands coming up to grab his shirt collar. They were separated by the table in between them and Usopp was sure that given a chance, Bonney would slam Zoro's head into it.

"No!" Nami too got on her feet and had a controlling grip on Zoro's shoulder, "don't you dare." She growled.

Zoro glared at her, still holding Bonney, "she needs a thrashing."

"She is not a suspect. Let her go. Now." Nami's voice was strong, authority resonating.

Zoro took a second then let the lady go, pushing her as he did. Surprisingly, she didn't stumble back and released her hold on Zoro too, breathing heavily, her hair falling down her temporary bun and hanging haphazardly in a messy knot.

"Fine," Zoro rounded at Nami, "you deal with her then." He picked his coat from behind the chair and stormed out, the front of his grey shirt a crumpled mess.

"Out." Nami snapped at Usopp who looked at her indignantly but complied nonetheless.

Once the door was closed, Nami turned to Bonney, "being a lady, I expected you to be more intelligent. But you refuse to act as a grown up."

Bonney shrugged and pulled her chair forward and sat down on it again, elbows resting on the desk, forearms crossed, "you all don't seem like a bunch of grown ups either." She said, keeping her gaze locked with Nami.

Nami held her tongue, looking at the lady. She understood what she was going through and knew that Zoro did too. But he was a little prick and often disregarded emotions as distractions. This lady - Bonney had lost her brother three years ago. It might have been difficult for her to cope up, to adjust with the feeling of losing her sibling. And by the sounds of it, her father too. There was no way a girl who faced such circumstances wouldn't be stubborn, strong and independent.

Suddenly being told that her brother was alive, and seeing him all beat up at the police hospital... The girl was probably caught amidst a turmoil of emotions and Nami was surprised he still kept her head.

Shaking her head, she walked over to the water cooler and filled two plastic cups with chilled water. She approached Bonney and held out one for her. Bonney looked at it, biting the inside of her lip once before her eyes followed Nami's muscled arm, up her long neck and strong jaw to her deep dark hazel eyes.

Something in her ticked when she saw the softness in them and she pursed her lips together before nodding and taking the cup, drinking as if it was a shot. The tickle of cool water down her parched throat comforted her and made her eyes prickle. Blinking, she kept the empty cup on the table only to see Nami holding out the second for her too. Licking her lips, she grabbedtook it and took a decent sip.

Nami walked around her and picked up a seat, setting it next to Bonney so that both of them were on the same side of the desk. She sat down on it, breathing out heavily through her nose, her legs set slightly apart and arms crossed over her chest.

"Your father..?" She spoke, softly.

Bonney stared at her hands that were holding the cup, biting on her lip. She looked so grieved… Nami controlled her instinct to console the girl, letting her take her time.

Bonney saw the still water in her cup, transparent and clean. She remembered that day just the same…

" _Dad! I'm home." Bonney entered her house, calling out to her father. She had to stay a bit longer at work and her battery had died. She had hoped Zeff wouldn't worry too much. It was eleven thirty and she was hungry._

 _She took off her coat and hung it on the hanger set at the entrance. The house seemed quite… Empty. It always did now... ever since Sanji… Sighing and wanting to distract herself, Bonney headed to the kitchen while checking her messages._

" _You won't believe what these two thieves did today," she spoke aloud, swiftly going through the whatsapp group messages, checking to see something of importance. "They stole this lady's cat and demanded her to give them 2000 CAD in return."_

 _She entered the kitchen and looked up, expecting to see Zeff reading the newspaper or Twilight. He rarely talked to her anymore.. Always immersed in the paper or that book Sanji loved. He didn't cook anymore either. And he had lost weight… Bonney had a hard time in forcing him to eat._

 _But he wasn't there… Bonney set her phone aside on the counter, noting the untouched tea she had left him that afternoon._

" _Dad?" She called again, walking into the corridor again. She started climbing up the stairs, keeping the feeling of dread at bay, gulping hard as she climbed up the stairs, he was probably asleep. He usually slept by 12 but maybe he was tired._

 _The cup of tea flashed through her mind and she hurried her steps, "Dad?" Her voice quivered, "Dad!?" She ran to his room and opened his bedroom door._

 _The sheets were not touched, there was no one sleeping on the bed or any sign of struggle._

" _Dad!?" She gasped, turning around and checking the bathroom - empty. Her bedroom - empty. Sanji's bedroom - empty._

 _Fear gripped her heart, the hold strong as she shook her head to remove the thoughts flooding her head._

 _Where could he be? Where could he be? Where could he have gone? He would have replied if he heard Bonney calling out to him so many times, right? She stumbled down the stairs, her whole body shaking, legs barely listening to her and wanting to jam up on the spot. She headed to the library, holding onto hope when she opened it but it was empty._

 _Backing out the room and setting her jaw together, she rushed to the back porch - empty._

 _Empty._

 _The house was empty._

 _Maybe he went to the market… Maybe he felt like cooking. It was Bonney's fault.. She was late… She usually cooked when she came home.. He probably got hungry._

Bonney watched the water in the cup ripple as her hands shook. She hadn't found him. That night, or the next or the one a month later. The police had no leads. The car had not been taken but his wallet was gone.

The only consolation through all the turmoil was that they didn't find Zeff's body either. It was the only thing that Bonney clung to. The only thing that kept her strung together.

But it didn't ease the fact that Bonney had been left alone… Her brother snatched away and her father left on his own, abandoning her, without a word.

"He left," Bonney heard the same quiver that she heard in her voice that day. She gritted her teeth together, ignoring the prick in her eyes, trying to control herself, "he left one day and didn't come back."

Nami was silent for a few second, watching Bonney trying to control her tears.

"That must have been painful." She said softly.

Bonney nodded, her vision blurring as she pressed her lips together, feeling the pressure build at the back of her head.

"You're not the only one."

Bonney looked up at Nami, blinking, tears finally leaving her eyes as she looked at the officer, confused.

Nami's heart broke when she saw the agony in the blue eyes. She reached out, covering the cold shivering hands in her warm ones. Bonney was biting hard on the inside of her bottom lips, Nami could see her trying to avoid further tears.

"It seems like Sanji was kidnapped and forced to be a part of a drug and prostitution ring." Nami started, keeping her eyes fixed on Bonney's. "It broke your family."

"And believe me, Bonney… Yours is not the only one. As we speak, more people - young girls, young men… Are being kidnapped or drugged. Families will keep falling. The fact that Sanji is alive and all the evidence was framed, means that someone from our own system is a part of it. We need your help and Sanji's to catch them. The two names you mentioned are of high ranking officials here. If they actually are a part of this... Then action needs to be taken."

00

Picking the last piece of Grilled chicken with his fork, Sanji watched Eliza Doolittle trying to improve her phonetics as she tried speaking tongue twisters and ended up setting her page on fire. The fork shook in his hand as he laughed too hard and Ace was in a similar state next to him, though he had finished his food sooner and now had his arm resting behind Sanji on the sofa head, his hair tied up, keeping it from falling on his face.

Ace had insisted on Sanji to freshen up while he finished cooking their dinner.. About half an hour later, Ace put on My Fair Lady on the DVD player for Sanji and set up the food on the rectangular coffee table. He had offered wine but Sanji preferred juice.

Right now, hours later, Sanji was lazily lounging on the couch, his legs thrown over one of Ace's and enjoying his food and the other man's warmth.

Sanji sniggered as the scene passed onto the next and leant forward to set his empty plate on the table and then sitting back, shifting so that his side was pressed against Ace and adjusted his legs to be more comfortable while still resting on the brunette who finally moved his hand from the sofa to pull Sanji closer.

Smiling, Sanji rested his head on Ace's shoulder, noticing how muscled it was. Snaking his arms around Ace's waist, he continued to watch the movie with content. It wasn't long before he was drifting off, the movie making lesser sense and one scene playing over and over in front of his eyes, though what the characters said became incomprehensible with every repeat. It was very confusing.

He felt Ace rub his arm and blinked, not realising when he had closed his eyes. Wasn't he just watching a very confusing scene in the movie? But the TV was off and Ace was talking to him softly in his ear, "you want to move to the bedroom now?"

Humming, Sanji nodded but instead of getting up, just hugged Ace tighter and snuggled further into him, turning his face away from the blank screen to rest close to the brunette's neck, eyes closing again. It was warm… Sanji could feel Ace's beating pulse on his forehead and the warmth soaked its way into him.

"Ace?" he whispered.

"Sanji?" Ace replied, the words vibrating through his neck to Sanji, his hand holding the blonde closer.

Sanji didn't know what to say, he just wanted to take Ace's name. Realising how sappy he was being, he blushed.

This was so embarrassing.

"Mm… I'm sleepy." He murmured, glad that Ace couldn't see him.

"Yes, you are." Ace chuckled. Sanji could hear the laugh in his voice and grinned to himself.

"I don't wanna move though!" he whined.

"You want me to carry you bridal style?"

That gave Sanji a good push to leave his laziness behind and he opened his eyes and raised his head a little to pout at Ace, while the other man grinned at him, "Neow."

Ace laughed and pulled Sanji closer, placing a hard kiss on Sanji's forehead before releasing him and clapping him on his back. "Alright, up you get."

Sighing, Sanji sat up straight, detaching himself from Ace with much regret. The central cooling hit him the moment he was separated from Ace's body and he wanted to wrap himself around the older man again. He lifted his legs off Ace but he had barely set them down before Ace had swooped his arm under his knees while the other wrapped around Sanji's waist.

Sanji gasped and a small yelp escaped him as Ace stood up in one fluid motion with Sanji in his arms, flailing to wrap his arms around Ace to keep himself from falling as Ace moved.

"I hate you," Sanji mumbled, not meaning a word of it. He was happy to be close to Ace again and was not going to complain. Grinning, he leaned in to kiss Ace's cheek as the man walked out the drawing room to the corridor.

"Your words and actions are contradictory." Ace grinned as he turned to lean against his bedroom door and sliding in when it gave way. Instead of helping Sanji onto the bed though, he headed to the bathroom. Once inside, he let Sanji down to stand in front of the mirror and sink.

"Brush before sleep." He said and handed Sanji a new toothbrush.

"Okay, mom." Sanji intoned, receiving a snort from Ace as he squeezed out the offered paste on the bristles.

The two brushed their teeth in silence, Ace finishing first. After cleansing his mouth, he walks out to set the bed. He lifts the bed cover and dusts the bedsheet. He then takes out the comforter from the sliding panel of the bed and lays it neatly on the bed and fluffs the pillows. Happy with his work, he goes out the room to switch off all the lights and lock the doors and windows,turn off the gas and carried back two chilled water bottles to his room.

Sanji is already sitting on the bed, legs hidden under the comforter when he arrives and is typing on his phone. He looks up when Ace entered the room and closed the door behind him.

"I forgot to ask you, when did you give Bonney your number?" He asked.

"About three years ago." Ace said, setting the bottles on his bedside desk. "I thought you knew?"

"No, it was a surprise." Sanji says, returning to his screen. Ace guesses that Sanji is texting his sister then. It's probably a couple of hours past midnight in Toronto. "Does she talk to you often?"

Ace shrugged as he slipped out of his slippers and got under the comforter as well, "We talk once in awhile. She's really cool." he turned to lie on his side, pulling the tie holding his hair to let it fall freely, away from his face before tugging his hands under the covers, one coming up to rest in the space between Sanji and him.

Locking his phone, Sanji let it fall on the bed next to him and lay down comfortably, facing Ace, bringing his hand up to rest on his.

They remained silent for a few seconds, just looking at each other.

"So." Sanji said, a little nervous. He had longed to be with Ace for ages and now that he was, he was a little angry with himself for getting nervous every few seconds.

Of course he and Ace had discussed this multiple times. Ace had always told Sanji that they would never rush into anything. But Sanji felt that waiting for four years was sure to give the man reasons to rush. He himself felt that his nervousness and tension levels would fall a bit if things just happened between them asap.

A gentle stroke on his cheek broke his chain of thought and he blinked Ace's face into focus again. The man was looking at Sanji with a curious smile on his face, "what are you thinking?" He asked, retracting his hand now that Sanji was back with him.

"Uh.." Sanji speculated about sharing his thoughts.

Ace shifted closer to Sanji, leaning up to rest on his elbow, "tell me." He prodded.

"I… Don't you wanna…" Sanji started, a little uncomfortable in saying it out loud.

Ace's brows scrunched for a few seconds, trying to understand what Sanji was saying before he seemed to understand and he looked at Sanji sharply.

"Do you?" He asked.

Sanji tucked his lower lip in between his teeth and let his gaze fall. Ace scooted into Sanji's space and lay down, wrapping his free arm around Sanji over the comforter, pulling him closer. Sanji went with it, still not looking up. His throat was locking up and eyes prickling.

Ace directed Sanji's head to lay on the arm under him and bent slightly to place his lips on the blonde head.

"Sanji?" Ace said, "what's wrong, babe? We've discussed this before, haven't we?"

Sanji nodded, his hand coming up to hug Ace back, "I just... If you want to do it, I can try," he muttered out, thickly.

"Shut up." Ace hugged him even closer, "I love you because of who you are. Sex doesn't have anything to do with it."

Sanji shifts, leg working under the comforter to nudge its way between Ace's legs. He sniffed, feeling a couple of tears leave him. He had come out to Ace as a somewhat asexual - side gay about two months after they started talking. The man was surprisingly unconcerned about it.

" _It's not a big deal, I guess. Why are you so nervous about it?"_ He had said.

Right now, Sanji felt mildly ashamed. They had discussed this before. Sanji rarely got turned on and when he did, he didn't like anal sex - in any form. He had been shamed for it by his previous partners or guilt tripped into actually participating. It was always painful and a huge trigger to lower his self esteem.

Ace had never done that. He had been clear about it since the very beginning. He was not going to force Sanji into anything that he wasn't in the mood for. His attraction towards Sanji was not limited to his physical form. He had said that though Sanji was probably the most handsome guy he had ever seen, it was his nature that attracted him and he would do nothing that would hurt him, ever.

He felt Ace's thumb wipe a tear track from his face, "relax." He said, and pressed his body full against Sanji, fingers combing through blonde hair, lips speaking comfort. It wasn't till a couple of minutes later that Sanji realised how tense his body was. He began to loosen his muscles, feeling his eyes drying up. Ace was still talking in his ear, telling him that he is perfect, and doesn't need to overthink. They finally met, they need to enjoy, not worry about things.

Sanji nods into Ace's neck, and tilts his head a little upward to give the brunette a quick kiss under his jaw. Ace chuckles softly before pulling back a little and kissing hard on Sanji's forehead, long and hard enough to make Sanji laugh and tell Ace to stop.

"Love you," Ace reveres, still not stopping.

Blushing and content, the words are pouring out of his mouth before Sanji can even stop them, "love you more."

That lead to a competition of who loves the other more and how immeasurable it is, interrupted by occasional yawns and ended with Ace snoring mid sentence after a few minutes and Sanji gazing at his face for a few minutes, before he switched off the side lamps and fell asleep listening to the barely audible snores, wrapped underneath warmth and love.

000

Zoro looked through the two way mirror as Bonney finished describing Ace's face to Usopp and confirming the sketch that the artist made. Nami rubbed the lady on her back in comfort and the pink haired girl looked at her and smiled for a second before looking back at Usopp.

She looked like she had aged years since he saw her yesterday. He didn't blame her. The woman was actually surprisingly strong but he definitely wouldn't want to be in her shoes. He watched as Nami picked up the sketch and looked at the mirror, like she knew that Zoro was watching.

Eyebrow raised, Zoro pressed the microphone option and talked into it, "yes?"

Nami heard him through the earpiece and flipped the sketch, presenting Zoro with a charcoal sketch of an all too familiar face.

"Okay." He said, into the mic and Nami set the paper back on the desk.

Zoro looked down to his right, watching the surprise on the face of his Captain.

Luffy had been looking for his brother for three years, without success... Who could have thought that a drug bust would give them clues?

 _ **To Be Continued...**_

* * *

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